


Glow

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Series: YOI Prompts Weekly [16]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Georgi Has Issues, Georgi Is A Noodleloaf, communication problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 12:34:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13740975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: Anya's known Georgi for years, and dreamt of being the one to make him glow with happiness almost as long as she's known him.Sometimes, it's better if your dreams don't come true.





	Glow

**Author's Note:**

> Written for YOI Prompts Weekly 1/8
> 
> Pairing: Anya/Georgi Popovich
> 
> Prompts:  
>  **Grocery store**  
>  **Glitter**  
>  **Romance**  
>  **Role play**  
>  **In a tent**

When he was happy, Georgi glowed. For years now, Anya had watched him go through the cycles of glowing and fading away, as girls – later women – came in and out of his life and his heart. She’d dreamed, one day, that Georgi would notice her. That the glow would be for her, and would never fade. Georgi deserved to be happy, and Anya was firmly convinced she could make him so.

Of all the places for him to notice her, it happened at the grocery store. Anya was picking through produce, trying to find the best cabbage, when suddenly Georgi was beside her staring at the kale. “I hate kale. Do you think my nutritionist would notice if I did cabbage instead? They’re both leafy green vegetables, does it matter that much?”

“If your nutritionist said kale instead of leafy green vegetable, they probably had a reason for it… but I won’t tell if you don’t.” Anya smiled at him. “On the other hand, Yakov’s got quite the temper, if he hears you’re not listening to the staff that he keeps around to keep his skaters in the best shape possible… are you sure it’s worth the risk?”

Georgi stared at her a moment. “Anya, right? Ice dancer, you skate with Christov?”

“That’s right. Who did you think you were talking to?”

“Myself, honestly. I do that when I’m trying to work through things.” Georgi picked up some kale. “Unfortunately, you’re right about Yakov. Thanks. I’d probably have talked myself into the cabbage, and it probably would have been fine, but…” Georgi shuddered. “Knowing my luck, he’d catch me right after Viktor pulls some sort of incredible bonehead stunt like forgetting to bring his skates with him to Worlds.”

Anya giggled. “Viktor would do that?”

“He hasn’t yet, but he came very close. Luckily for him, Yakov called to remind him to pack an extra pair of laces to give Christophe after having to borrow a pair from him at Europeans.”

“Wow.” Anya tucked her hair back behind an ear. “I knew he was a bit scatterbrained, but forgetting his skates? Is that what happened to his hair, he just forgot to bring it with him one day?”

Georgi took a beat, and then doubled over with laughter. “Makes more sense than his story about being attacked by a horde of crazy fangirls!”

 

At the rink the next day, Anya and Christov were fighting over the choreography for their free dance. Anya gave up and walked away when she saw Georgi come in – if Christov wanted to do the same boring thing they’d been doing for the past five years, fine, whatever, at least it wouldn’t be hard to learn. Georgi came after her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Creative differences with my partner. We’ll get through it, we always do. I thought it might be fun to get a little more roleplay into our dance for this year, he wants to stick with the traditional glitter and technique.”

“Glitter’s nice, but I’m a big fan of roleplay in skating programs. Just helps so much with finding that connection to really make the program yours, you know? Anyone can glitter.”

“Exactly! I don’t know what Christov’s problem is, but he’s stubborn. He’ll probably win this year, too.”

“That’s a shame.” Georgi smiled at her. “So, off the topic, I know, but I was wondering if you might like to go see a movie sometime.”

“I’d love to!” Anya played it cool as they set up specifics, but inside, there was a very excited girl doing backflips and squealing so loud that dogs started staring at her oddly.

 

Dating Georgi was everything Anya had expected it to be. He glowed with happiness, he made sure to pay enough attention to her to know what she liked and what she didn’t, joined in some of her interests and encouraged her in the ones he didn’t share. She got flowers on a regular basis, but never with the sense that they were perfunctory or Georgi doing what he thought he was supposed to be doing – the cards were always sweet and thoughtful and relevant. Anya did not understand how the women before her had ever given this up.

The first time they spent the night together was a camping trip. They’d gone with several other Russian athletes, and took a lot of catcalls and teasing for sharing a tent, but Anya just blew it off. One of the other women on the trip, a cross-country skier, pulled Anya aside. “How long have you and Georgi been dating?”

“About three months, why?”

“So it’s about that time, I guess. Look. I know you’re going to blow me off and say that I’m just saying this because I’m his ex, but be careful, okay? Georgi’s not the perfect, flawless prince he seems to be, and you’re about at the stage where you’re going to discover that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’ve been there, I spent three months wondering what on earth was wrong with all his exes and three months realizing why he’s never had a relationship last more than six months. Just be ready, okay? You’re about to see the dark side.”

Anya blew it off. Tatiana was probably jealous. Georgi didn’t look concerned about Anya having talked to her, so she made a point of being extra cuddly and attentive for the rest of the day.

It’s not like she’d expected Georgi to try to sleep with her, not in a tent with several people in their own tents nearby. She had expected a bit more than just a kiss goodnight and him zipping up his sleeping bag and sleeping with his back to her. During the day, even when it was just the two of them, he was still the romantic prince she loved so much, but as soon as they were in their tent, it was like they were strangers.

The last night of the trip, Anya was fed up. “Georgi? Is something wrong?”

“No?” Georgi picked his head up from his pillow and looked over at Anya. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, it’s just… did you really even want to share a tent with me, or did it just get assumed and you didn’t want to cause a fuss?”

“Of course I wanted to share with you, Anya! There’s no one here I’d rather share with.”

“Then why does it feel like we might as well be in separate tents?”

“It does? Not to me. You’re so close. It’s amazing.” Georgi reached out and touched Anya’s hand. “I love you. I’m glad you’re here.” Then he closed back up to go to sleep, leaving Anya frustrated.

 

For the next month, Anya kept hinting at the two of them sharing a room. Sharing a hotel room, if Georgi would rather do that than have her over to his place or come to hers. The thing is, she noticed the more she pushed, the less Georgi glowed with happiness.

Was this what Tatiana had meant? Anya didn’t want to think so, but it was starting to sour everything about their relationship. Georgi was stepping up the romance, but being alone with her in a private setting was becoming so awkward. If he’d just talk to her, tell her that he was asexual or sex-repulsed or whatever… but any hints she dropped got ignored, except for the glow dimming even further.

It all came to a head in June. Five months, and Anya couldn’t take it anymore. She apologized to herself from six months ago, the woman who had sworn she’d never do anything like this if she were lucky enough to catch Georgi’s eye, and went to find him. “We need to talk.”

“Okay.” Georgi walked her outside, to an alley behind the rink where they weren’t likely to be interrupted. “What’s up?”

“Are we ever going to have sex? If we’re not, I think I deserve to know why, at least.”

Georgi flinched. He stared hard at the ground. “I want to, Anya. I swear, I want to. But I can’t. I… I don’t know how to explain it, but I just… I can’t bring myself to go through with it. I wish I could. I know this is the part where you leave me, where you tell me you can’t do this anymore, and I don’t blame you for it. I’m sorry. I wish I could give you the answer you deserve.”

“So that’s it? You’re just going to let me walk away, find some other woman and do the same thing to her, instead of trying to fight for our relationship by getting help figuring this out?” Georgi didn’t answer, so Anya rolled her eyes and spat on the ground. “You are pathetic, Georgi. You really should find a good shrink before you even consider finding another girlfriend.” She turned and walked away, head high, forcing the tears back until she’d made it inside and found a quiet corner where Georgi would never think to look for her.


End file.
